President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, decried the menace of corruption, which he said has continued to thrive in the civil service as it’s garbed in the cloak of nepotism, cronyism and political patronage among others including lack of transparency, accountability and other social misdemeanor.
This came as he urged leaders in the private and public sectors be mindful of their positions as trustees of the people, tasking them to always work towards leaving legacies that would outlive them.
“I wish that leaders would rise to be counted among leaders, who have distinguished themselves to do the right thing and leave their footprints on the sands of time,” he stated.
Speaking during conferment of awards on former President Goodluck Jonathan and 43 other prominent Nigerians anchored by the Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service (NEAPS) held in the State House, Abuja, Buhari observed that such vices conspire to distract the civil servants and impinge on the delivery of their mandate.
He said if institutional mechanisms for holding public officers and civil servants accountable were not properly enforced, it would give the wrong signal to the public.
“Public service is a public trust where officers and even employees must be accountable to the people whom they should serve at all times with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency. They are expected to act with patriotism and think out of the box in order to solve the many problems facing the people they lead.
“At present, issues in corruption continue to affect the civil services in many countries, around the world. Several reasons of these issues still exist because of the deeply rooted problems like nepotism, cronyism, political patronage as well as lack of transparency and accountability. These vices distract them from delivering on their mandate and aspirations.
“The unsystematic enforcement of law and institutional mechanisms for holding civil servants and public officials accountable of their actions will always lead to a negative impression to the citizens.”
The President expressed delight in having the opportunity to recognise 44 persons and orgnisations, which, he said, have distinguished themselves in many areas of governance, and other endeavours across sectors.
“I am particularly happy to recognise His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, my predecessor for his contribution to peace building from the Niger-Delta region, which was snowballed into the Nation and now, around the world.”
Since leaving office, he has deployed his rich experience to ensure peace in many parts of Africa and has led mediation talks in several parts of the globe.
“I want to also specially recognise Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Chairman of BUA International Limited for his interventions in education through the BUA Foundation, the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) and his personal philanthropic initiative.
“This initiative funds tertiary education institutions in Nigeria from its yearly $100million ASR Africa Fund for Social Development and Renewal. I am happy that five Universities have so far benefited with many more to come.
“I am equally elated to have some governors and my ministers receive this award. This is to put on record that this Awards is born out of empirical evidence of performance and not politics.
“This award is a recognition of the giant strides you all have made towards the transformation of Nigeria and you have consistently put hard work and dedication at the centre of your initiatives.”
